OFI 1115: A Community Of Agriculture | FFA SAE Edition | Olivia Odle | Brush High School FFA

On today’s episode of the Off-Farm Income Podcast I am fortunate enough to speak with a very high achieving student who is involved in agriculture, sports, business education, her faith and so much more. Olivia Odle is a standout, becoming her chapter’s president, while being very active in many areas outside of the FFA. She lives in Northeast Colorado, which is completely focused on agriculture and so much different than the vast majority of her state.

Olivia keeps up a rapid pace of activity, but it is apparent that she would not be able to do this if her community and school did not value agriculture and the FFA so much. As an example, sports can sometimes interfere with other extracurricular activities, such as the FFA, but her community and school clearly support agriculture so it works out. The mascot for Oliva’s school is the “beet diggers”, which is clearly indicative of the growth of sugar beets as a crop in her area and her area’s history.

It is this type of support that has allowed Olivia to succeed in so many different areas of life and take on responsible positions, such as president of her chapter. And it is this type of support that will push her to succeed at the next level when she begins college, just two months after this episode is published!

SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Beef Production

HIGH SCHOOL: Brush High School; Brush, Colorado

MASCOT: Brush Beetdiggers

FFA ADVISOR: Corie McDonald

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR OLIVIA ODLE:

Click on the picture below to be taken to the Brush High School Website:

Oliva’s FFA Advisor’s Email Address: c.mcdonald@brushschools.org

Brush High School Telephone Number: 970-842-5171

FFA LINKS:

National FFA Organization

Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE’s)

Support FFA

Donate to FFA – FFA students can start small businesses through an FFA grant of $1,000. In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants. With your donations, more students can get this head start – pay it forward.

REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA:

Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% and the rest of the world. FFA provides the needed education, training, and resources to Americans to carry that torch forward and ensure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food.
Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation. The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth.
Farmers, ranchers, and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the food search is as simple as going to the grocery store:

“The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue